Page 36 of Scarbound

The room fell silent.

“I hit the ground.”

“What happened next?”

“What he shouted stayed with me.” Noeul’s fingers tightened around each other. “‘Stop lying to me! You’re with them!’”

“What did you think when he said that?”

“I didn’t know what to think. I tried again. I said, ‘Gong… I’m your brother.’”

“Did he hear you?”

“He didn’t seem to. He pushed me again. This time I hit the fence.” Noeul closed his eyes. “He wasn’t looking at me anymore. It felt like he was looking at someone else.”

Dr. Kim waited until he continued.

“Then Haneul came running toward us. He asked, ‘What happened?’”

“What did you tell him?”

“I wanted to tell him everything.” A sad smile appeared for only a second. “But Gong was my priority. So I lied.

“I said, ‘It’s nothing. Just a misunderstanding. It was my fault.’”

“Why did you feel you had to hide it?”

“I don’t know if Haneul believed me. I just wanted everyone to leave us alone. I thought I could handle it.”

“What did you do after Haneul left?”

“I went back to Gong. I said, ‘Gong… please calm down. It’s me. It’s Noeul. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Let’s go home.’

“He looked terrified. Cornered. He kept whispering to himself. He didn’t trust me anymore.”

“Were you able to bring him home?”

“Eventually.” His voice became almost inaudible. “He was quieter then.”

A long silence settled between them.

“What did you think had happened to him?” Dr. Kim asked.

Noeul stared at the floor. “I remember thinking that whatever had happened to my brother had taken him somewhere I couldn’t follow.”

Dr. Kim let the silence linger. “Was that the day you realized something was happening that you couldn’t manage by yourself?”

Noeul nodded. “Yes.”

He lowered his eyes again.

“I think… that was the day I started losing my brother.”

CHAPTER 14

When Noeul first stepped over the threshold of Chung-Hee’s apartment, he realized they lived in two completely different worlds.

Chung-Hee resided in a three-bedroom penthouse in one of the most modern residential complexes in Cheongdam-dong. Everything in his home looked expensive, from the limited-edition decor to the artwork covering the walls. Noeul immediately recognized the distinctive work of Kija, one of his favorite artists. Each painting cost millions of won, imposing and emotionally charged in a way Noeul had always admired.